Several years ago, I had the opportunity to go sailing with a good friend off the coast of Waikiki beach in Hawaii. It was a beautiful afternoon and we were having a great time. But as it got later in the day, the winds picked up and the boat started getting tossed around. There were times when the boat was almost at a 90 degree angle and I started getting nervous. But as the boat was teetering, my friend was never out of control. He had sailed these ocean waters many times b

In the wake of what happened not long ago in Baton Rouge, what followed in Dallas, and what has taken place in our country as of late, it begs a question: What can we do to live up to our humanity in these hostile times? Humanity speaks of collectivity, not individuality. We as a species are not designed to adopt the political structure of the animal kingdom. Humanity deals, not with hierarchy, but with equality; not with survival of the fittest, but with grace; and not with

As the director of Riviera Baptist Church's Children’s Ministry, I am tasked with finding volunteers that are able to help with the program. However, a common conundrum that faces leaders of small churches is having enough bodies to provide care and leadership for their Sunday School or other children’s programs. There are several parts to the participation problem: People who are willing but not able (either through old age or inexperience and training) People who are able b

Most of us understand the blessings and burdens of living in an increasingly digital world. Our families have multiple computers in their homes. We follow the GPS in our car when we need to get somewhere new. We check out at the automated register in the grocery store. We carry our smartphones with us everywhere -- and we feel vulnerable without them. While the prospect of being eternally connected might seem frightening at times, the purpose of this technology is to make our